Drier



.Feb. 27, 1951 w. KAUFFMANN,

DRIER Filed March 22, 1946 Patented Feb. 27, 19 51 DRIER Walter L. Kauilman, II, Erie, Pa asslgnor to Lovell Manufacturing Company, Erie, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 22, 1946, Serial No. 656,381

6 Claims. 1

This invention is intended to simplify the construction oi tumbler type clothes dri'ers by utilizing the drum as the blower for circulating air through the drum. In one form the heater radiates through one end of the drum and the door for loading and unloading clothes is at the .other end of the drum. Further objects and advantages appear in the specification and claims. I

In the drawing,

Fig. l is a sectional elevation oi a drier, and Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, l indicates a horizontal perforate-drum having on its inner surface axially extending ribs 2 for increasing the tumbling action of the clothes. At opposite ends of the drum are heads 3 and 4 having coaxial openings 5 and 6 at the center of the drum. The heads are of larger diameter than the drum and the projecting portions 1 are bent outward to provide circular flanges l by widen the drum is rotatably supported in a cradle comprising wheels 9 and In fixed to shafts and i2. Iihe wheels I are idle wheels and the wheels it are driving wheels which drive the drum 1th frrictional e sement with flanges 58 Each of the wheels is provided with a i3 riding against the inner edge of the head and preventing 7 M M the edrmn.

n the outer at like drum are vanes id w. m dreads and serving as a blower for etrculatmgaitr through the drum. Air mews into the so 5 at the back of the drum louvers in a wall? 16. forming the bazc k (one enclosing thedrier. Around the (of the (limits a scroll shaped sheet j fill ithe ioujterwall of an involute fan casilng star the The edges of the sheet are secured to the back wall It and to a front wall 158. upper part of the sheet II forms the itopwall or ithe drier cabinet. at the center of ithemumameacabinet end walls i9 and having it p fllanges 52%| and 22 secured "to the sheet l1 and ihaeingz front and back edges secured to the walls 1.8 and I8. With this construction there is rprovidedian enclosure 23 between the outlet 24 of the involute fan casing and the end wall 20 of the cabinet in which is located a motor 25 for driving the drum. The motor shaft extends through a wall 28 spaced from the cabinet back wall It and providing a housing for a belt and pulley drive 21 for the shaft i2 carrying the drive wheels Ill. The shaft II for the idler wheels 9 extends across the cabinet walls It and It in the space 23 outside the involute tan casing. The

2 sheet I I forming the outer wall of the casing is cut away at Ila to provide clearance for the wheels 9 and Ill.

' The air discharged from the outlet 24 is filtered through a removable drawer 28 in the end wall I! of the cabinet. The bottom and side walls'of the drawer are made of a screen 29 which traps the lint released during the drying operation.

The clothes are heated by a radiant heater 30 arranged between the louvers l5 and the drum opening 6. Because the clothes are heated primarily by radiant heat, a large volume of air can be drawn through the drum without decreasing the drying efllciency. Clothes are loaded and unloaded to the drum through a door 3| on the front 'cabinet wall l8 having a flange 32 extending within the front drum opening 5 and providing a substantially air-tight seal preventing the flow of air out the opening 5 during the rotation of the drum.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a tumbler type clothes drier, a horizontal perforate drum in which the clothes are tumbled as the drum is rotated, heads at both ends of the drum, an involute casing around the drum, flanges projecting beyond the periphery of the drum, an air inlet to the center of the drum, vanes between the flanges serving as a blower for circulating air through the drum, a cradle for the drum comprising wheels engaging the flanges and supporting and driving the drum and openings in the casing through which the wheels extend into driving engagement with the flanges.

2. In a tumbler type clothes drier, a horizontal perforate drum in which the clothes are tumbled as the drum is rotated, means including a sheet around the drum forming an involute casing with its outlet at the bottom of the drum, an air inlet to the center of the drum, vanes on the drum serving as a blower circulating air through the drum, acabinet enclosing the lower part of the casing and its outlet, and a drive for the drum between the cabinet and casing.

3. In a tumbler type clothes drier, a, horizontal clothes receiving drum having a. perforate axial- 1y extending peripheral wall and end walls, means for driving the drum at a speed causing tumbling of the clothes, 8. fan easing around and providing an air receiving space outside the peripheral walls of the drum, an air inlet to the center one end wall of the drum, a heater for the air and clothes, axially extending vanes on the drum serving as a blower for sucking air from the interior of the drum and moving it radially through the peripheral walls of the drum 3 to the space between the drum and casing, and a fan casing outlet leading from said space.

4. In a tumbler clothes drier, a horizontal 'clothes receiving drum having a perforate axially extending peripheral wall, means for driving the drum at a speed causing tumbling of the clothes, a fan casing around and providing anair receiving space outside the peripheral wall of the drum, heads at both ends of the drum having coaxial openings at the center of the drum, a heater radiating through one of the openings, a door closing the other opening, and axially extending vanes 0n the drum serving as a blower for sucking air from the interior of the drum and moving it radially through the peripheral walls of the drum to the space between the drum and casing, and a fan casing air outlet leading from said space.

5. In a tumbler type clothes drier, a horizontal clothes receiving drum having aperforate axially extending peripheral wall and end walls, means for driving the drum at a speed causin tumbling of the clothes, an air inlet opening in one end wall of the drum, a scroll fan casing forming a space around the peripheral wall of the drum, an air outlet at the bottom of said casing, and and axially, extending vanes on the drum for sucking air from the interior of the drum and moving it radially through the peripheral walls of the drum to the space between the drum and casing.

6. In a tumbler type clothes drier, a horizontal clothes receiving drum having a perforate axially extending peripheral wall and end walls, means for driving the drum at a speed causing tumbling of the clothes, an air inlet to the center of one end wall of the drum, means including a sheet around the peripheral wa l of the drum forming an involute fan casing spaced from the peripheral wall, vanes on the drum sucking air from the interior of the drum and moving it radially through the peripheral walls of the drum to the casing, and an air outlet from the casing.

WALTER L. KAUFFMAN, II.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

q UNITED STATES PATENTS Numher Name Date 63,462 Boynton Apr. 2, 1867 394,714 Nelson et al Dec. 18, 1888 454,056 Long June 16, 1891 527,507 Randolph Oct. 16, 1894 1,602,463 Sparks'et a1 Oct. 12, 1926 2,314,748 White Mar. 23, 1943 2,372,790 Morgenstern Apr. 3, 1945 2,380,652 Jorgenson et a1. July 31, 1945 2,406,494 Ferris Aug. 27, 1946 2,434,886 Pugh Jan. 20, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 706,883 France 'June 30, 1931 511,612 Great Britain Aug. 22, 1939 

